


Smear Campaign

by charlotte123456789



Series: Harry Potter One-Shots [16]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anger, Daily Prophet, Enemies, Gen, Hatred, Newspapers, Self-Absorbed, Smear Campaigns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29378178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlotte123456789/pseuds/charlotte123456789
Summary: It couldn't be happening, it shouldn't be happening. It was unacceptable - it was time for a smear campaign.
Series: Harry Potter One-Shots [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2157993
Kudos: 1





	Smear Campaign

"Ahhhhhhh! Somebody get me my stand-in editor now! If she's not here in the next five minutes, somebody _will_ be fired."

Rita was _the_ boss bitch. She was the number one leading writer of _The Daily Prophet_ and _she knew it_.

Years of hard graft and toil, pushing arrogant, sleazy men out of her way on the big climb to the top.

And now, _now_ , her hard-earned status as the best in business was being threatened.

By some mere poncy _celebrity_ with a slightly pretty face that just _makes the ladies swoon_.

It couldn't be happening, _it shouldn't be happening_.

She got _all_ the priority access to big events, used her _not quite so legal_ means to get access to others, she was the name all households knew and trusted to bring them _all_ the news.

So now why was some complete and utter _prat_ pulling away her readers?

It was _unacceptable -_ it was time for a smear campaign.

First things first would be to call in the troops. All editors not working on what she declared front page news would be gathered to start researching and going over every single inch of his life with a fine tooth comb. No detail, however small, would be overlooked.

Next would be to start gathering together all the little inconsistencies, small nonsensical matters that would normally be glossed over but in this case would make the headlines. It was only a matter of finding a pattern; it didn’t matter if the pattern was correlation and not causation. All it mattered was that _her_ readers would see the points she was making. It was up to them to connect the dots, _she_ couldn’t be accused of lying when she most _certainly_ wasn’t.

Finally would be to go to print. Some _writers_ go hard and fast, others slow and steady. No. What _she_ liked was a nice slow start, leaving the readers wanting _more._ Then she would slip in an _additional_ piece here and there, give them what they’re wanting, _occasionally._ Then when it came to the time that _her_ readers got oh so hyped up, _she_ would give them all just what they had been waiting for, _the crescendo._ A tsunami of information, frontline news for weeks, nearly all the information, _but never quite enough._

Always leaving them _begging_ for more.

No, it wouldn’t be a quick process for Rita to destroy Lockhart for imposing on _her_ territory. But, it would be a long and _tumultuous_ affair that would draw back _each and every_ reader that he _stole._

All of which leading up to the _overwhelming_ conclusion of his deepest, _darkest,_ secret.

 _All_ would then be revealed.

* * *

Gilderoy was not stupid, no matter what people said.

He _knew_ he had no skills. He _knew_ he had no talent. He _knew_ that he was a fraud.

But, he also knew that he was outstanding with his one ability to use the _Obliviate_ charm.

So, maybe each and every event that he wrote about in his book _wasn’t_ quite his own experience. Or, to put it in a more statistical view, about 0% of the events were of his own point of view. Barring a few where he was the one being rescued from danger when he had ended up in the wrong place, none were his.

But that didn’t mean that they weren’t his _now._ It had taken years of effort and persuasion to get up close and personal with all the heroes that he wrote about. Months of planning and surveying to get his subject alone to _steal_ all the information from before _Obliviating_ them.

The amount of work that went into it was _not_ something to be scoffed at even if he _wasn’t_ quite the hero he portrayed himself to be.

So he felt quite justified with the masses flocking to him for advice and guidance on anything and everything. Every day that went by he gathered a slightly bigger fanbase, a louder crowd, _more adoring readers._ Of which each and every one were loyal to _him._

Of course he knew of the targeted smear campaign against him. He _knew_ that he was gathering readers quicker than _Skeeter_ could; many of hers now jumping ship to him - the better writer, who told the most outrageous, exorbitant, preposterous tales that were just so wild, they _had_ to be true.

Readers didn’t want _just_ the news anymore. They wanted it _all -_ the triumphs, the losses, the pain, the _glory._

What simple news article could do that?

He was simply the better of the two of them; _and he knew it._

But even with that simple knowledge, there was still a smear campaign to deal with.

So he did what he did best. Waited, studied, spied, questioned. Everything in his usual repertoire to gain details for a new book.

And _my oh my_ did he find out things. Many, many things; but only one of which _he_ cared about. One that would stop this rivalry once _and_ for all.

* * *

Lockhart had wanted a meeting; luckily for him, she was all too happy to entertain his request.

He had _no_ idea on what he would be walking into - this meeting would provide her with an _amazing_ opportunity to present her _wonderful_ cease and desist.

They were meeting in the Leaky Cauldron, for _anyone_ could tell you that no _unsavoury_ business ever went on there. It was a wholesome family pub in which _respectable_ members of the public could meet without being gazed at like animals in a zoo.

She awaited him at a booth. Documents laid face down on the table. Anyone to look upon her would assume an _innocent_ meeting with a witness for a possible news story - _exactly_ what she wanted them to see.

Ten minutes after she arrived he slid into the chair opposite her.

“Skeeter, such a _pleasure_ to be here.”

“Lockhart, I must say that the _pleasure_ is most certainly _mine.”_

Both held a predatory stare at one another, neither of them willing to be the first to look away. Only when a server came over to take a drinks order did things resume normality.

They sat in silence whilst waiting for their drinks to arrive, only then did they begin a conversation.

“You must be wondering why I asked you to meet?” Lockhart questioned. Rita could already guess as to why he had wanted to meet; the smear campaign, the negative reviews. Either of which he could be wanting answers for.

She played dumb, “Yes, I had been wondering why you would want to talk with _little old me_ .” The more he thought she was some _dumb blond,_ the better it was for her.

She watched as his mouth moved into a mocking impression of a grin, “You see, I just heard such an _amazing_ rumour, and I had to find out if it were _true._ You see, I heard that you were particularly fond of _bugs._ Of _beetles_ in particular; I could even say you were a _coleopterist.”_

She froze. How could he know? How could _he_ know? This was _not_ how this was supposed to go. If he released this information then it would end her. Five years in Azkaban _minimum_ ; her career would be ruined, thousands of _her_ articles would be pulled from print and investigated, her _fans_ would abandon her.

But, she wasn’t a _sneaky_ _beetle_ for nothing - she still had _her_ information _._ It was _supposed_ to have been to stop him printing entirely. However, desperate times call for desperate measures and self-preservation was always her strong point.

She smiled, full of teeth, not very pretty. _It wasn’t meant to be._ She watched as the smile fell off Lockhart’s face, she assumed that this wasn’t the response he was hoping to receive. He would be even more displeased when she spoke.

“So you’ve heard that _some_ may call me a _coleopterist,_ it may be true, _it may not._ Just like what _I’ve_ heard about _you._ See, I happened to learn that you were quite an average boy, weren’t you? So _very_ impressive for you to keep studying after school - your marks _certainly_ couldn’t have predicted a hero’s life for you. _But,_ you did _surprisingly_ well in one class did you not? C _harms._ An _Outstanding_ I believe, of which they scored you highly due to your ‘ _impressive use of the Obliviation Charm’._ You could have done well in the long-term spell damage ward in St. Mungos, but I suppose that your _exciting adventurer life_ is just as fulfilling for you.”

She watched as he grew paler and paler throughout her _little_ speech whilst her shark grin just grew bigger and even more _ominous._

She would _not_ be silenced without a fight.

Lockhart appeared to be speechless and she sat there quietly sipping her tea. Her career was safe no matter what. If it came to it, she _would_ swear under Veritaserum; if she was going down then _he_ would be too.

She placed her cup carefully down onto the grimy table and stared at Lockhart. 

“So how is this going to go?” What did her next move need to be? A solicitor or her editor?

“I think that maybe we could come to an agreement. You don’t bring up my _Charms_ experience and I don’t bring up your little _bug_ fascination. You agree?”

It appeared that Lockhart could see sense when shoved in his face. She nodded before standing up and leaving him with the bill.

They may be at a stalemate concerning their _habits._ But, it wouldn’t stop her from continuing her smear campaign. He was still actively _stealing_ her readers, so why should she _stop?_ Her _insatiable_ readers would be strung along happily with illicit affair after affair that he may or may not have partook in.

For neither could have the largest fan base, the golden career, the _glory,_ whilst the other was still writing.

And she, _she_ would be the victor in this long drawn out feud.


End file.
